One Plus Another
by flashwitch
Summary: Ted used to be an 'I', once upon a time. Now he's a 'we' and an 'us', and he's trying to remember how to survive. Charlie doesn't realise how Ted is fading away. Ted introspection, character study. Ted and Charlie friendship, or relationship if you're wearing slash goggles.


**There are hints, vague hints, of prison non-con for Ted. Non-explicit and shouldn't trigger. Very vague. **

* * *

They are a 'we' almost the whole time they were inside. 'We don't want any trouble', 'you want to leave us alone now', 'we shouldn't do this'.

When Ted gets out, he is an 'I' again and he doesn't know how to deal with that. He can't get a job, he doesn't have a life, he doesn't have anyone to take care of him. He goes to visit Charlie, and for a little while, they are an 'us' again. Charlie's eyes can see too much though.

"Ted, you look like you slept in the street."

"That's because I slept in the street, Charlie."

"That's not good, Ted."

"I know that, Charlie."

Ted is what Charlie was allowed to care about when he was inside. He wasn't allowed to care about his wife... ex-wife. He wasn't allowed to care about the little girl who called him uncle. He wasn't allowed to care about himself. But he was allowed to care for Ted. Ted was his.

Ted cared for Charlie because Charlie cared for him. Because Charlie found Ted when he wasn't even an 'I'. When he was an 'it' being used by whoever wanted to. He stopped them. He took Ted. And then they were a 'we' and an 'us'.

* * *

When Charlie gets out, the first thing he does is go and find Ted. Ted is barely hanging on to his 'I'. He stays at shelters. He stays at halfway houses. He stays in alleyways. He begs. He works day labour. He washes cars.

He is slowly losing himself, and he can't bring himself to care.

* * *

Charlie finds him. Charlie picks him up and brushes him off. Charlie puts him back together. They become a 'we' again, but not in the same way. Ted wants to be a 'we' in the way they always were, but Charlie is a free man now. He's innocent. He can care again. He can care for his ex-wife and he chases her on and on. She doesn't want him. He can care for his new partner, who doesn't understand him. He can care for the little girl who used to call him uncle and he looks and looks for her. Ted tags along. He lives above Charlie's garage and tries to separate 'I' from 'we'. It doesn't really work.

Charlie's personality is too big. He drags Ted in with him. He drags them all in. And Ted is helpless.

"I want an Orange Grove."

"I want a Solar Farm."

"I want a new car."

And Ted does it all, he gets these things for Charlie, because Charlie is asking and he can't say no. He's a part of Charlie and he owes him so much.

* * *

Ted asks for something eventually.

"I want to start a charitable foundation," he says.

"What?" Charlie's not really listening, he's playing with some weird fruit and thinking about the man who sent him to jail.

"I want to start a charitable foundation with your money. Please, listen."

"Sorry, Ted," Charlie looks up and puts down the fruit. He makes eye contact and tilts his head and does all the stuff that shows he's paying attention. Ted knows he's being humoured, but he ploughs on.

"I thought we could... that we could maybe help people like us, Charlie. People who got out of jail."

"There are organisations for that sort of thing already. Places set up to take in guys who just got out."

"They last a week, Charlie. And then you're on your own. You have no money, no prospects, no one to care about you. You're a person again for the first time in years and you're alone."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to give them some support. Offer them training, support. A warm bed for the night. Help them find out who they are again."

"Okay, Ted. Whatever you want." Easy as that, because Charlie has a lot to give.

* * *

Ted wants to give the others the chance he never got. The chance he wasn't given. They should be able to pay the price and then get away from it. They should be able to go back to their lives, or be given the tools to make a new one. Ted didn't get that chance. He still hasn't had it. His new life is all mixed up with his old one, with prison, with Charlie, with not being an 'I'. He can't get away from it. He's not sure he knows how. So he carries on. He gives Charlie whatever he wants and doesn't ask for anything he doesn't _need._

__That way, maybe Charlie will keep him.


End file.
